


Four Talks Noah Devorah is On the Receiving End Of

by SandstoneSunspear



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F, Non-binary character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 20:00:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14576547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandstoneSunspear/pseuds/SandstoneSunspear
Summary: Or alternatively known as: April has no idea how many people are in her corner.





	1. Arizona

**Author's Note:**

> These are some snapshots for a longer Grey's Anatomy rewrite that I'm working on. Just wanted to throw these out there to see what people's reactions are. 
> 
> Some miscellaneous things: Noah Devorah is non-binary (pronouns they/them/theirs). In the overall story I've got going on, they make a brief appearance in S12 before officially joining in S13.

**1\. Arizona Robbins**

“Hey, April, you paged--ah!” Arizona let out a yelp as April dragged her into an on-call room. She stumbled while April slammed the door shut and locked it behind her.

Arizona regained her bearings enough to whip around to glare at the woman she’d come to consider a close friend.

“What is going on?” she demanded.

April wrung her wrists. Arizona raised an eyebrow. Then, “I kissed Noah!”

Arizona blinked. Of all the things she had expected to come from April’s mouth, that was definitely not one of them. The developing relationship between the newest addition to Grey Sloan and April Kepner had been the talk of the hospital gossip mill. She had operated alongside the two of them and found that the tension they shared was undeniable.

“Please say something,” April pleaded.

Arizona blinked again. “That’s...that’s great!” she finally said. The stricken look that crossed April’s face told her otherwise. “Or not?”

April let out a breath and went over and collapsed onto one of the bunks. She placed her head in her hands.

Arizona sat down next to her. “April?”

April lifted her head. She stared ahead. “I don’t know what to do,” she said.

Arizona frowned. “About what?” she asked.

“About Noah.” She bit her lip. “Or about what I’m starting to feel for them, I guess?”

Arizona reached out and took April’s hand in hers. “Tell me about them,” she suggested. At April’s confused look, she clarified, “What are they like outside of the hospital?”

April continued to stare ahead. “Well...they’re smart and kind, and you wouldn’t know it, but they’re actually kind of dorky and it’s adorable.” A wistful smile made its way across her lips. “And just so...handsome. Or beautiful. Or beautiful and handsome.”

Arizona grinned as her friend rambled on.

“I just...I like them so much, but I don’t want get hurt again,” April murmured. “I’m the kind of person who loves with their whole heart, Arizona. I don’t want to start something and have it end badly because, because--” She let out a choked sob. _Because after everything, I don’t think I could take it._ She had tried, with Jackson, and it ended up only causing her more pain. She couldn’t take any more.

Arizona pulled April close as she started to cry. “It’s going to be okay,” she soothed. “It’s going to be okay.”

April only cried harder.

Arizona rubbed April’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay,” she said again. She closed her eyes and continued to murmur reassurances as the redhead’s body continued to shake. _If you could see the way they look at you, April, I don’t think you’d be worried._

-

“Dr. Devorah.”

Noah looked up from their charts to see Arizona approaching them. “Dr. Robbins,” they greeted. “Is there something I can help you with?”

She handed them a chart. “There are some inconsistencies with a patient report that you submitted earlier that I believe we need to discuss,” she said. “Let’s go to my office.”

Noah’s brow furrowed. “Of course.” They accompanied Arizona down the hallway. They looked over the chart, occasionally shift to the left or right as they dodged rushing residents and nurses. A detail caught their attention just as they crossed the threshold of her office. They frowned.

“Hey, wait a minute,” they said. “This isn’t my report, it’s not even my patient!”

They looked up, a furious question on their tongue when Arizona seized the tablet and tossed on her couch. They blinked.

Arizona pointed to the couch. “Sit.”

Noah was ready to issue an angry retort the order, but a glare from the blonde surgeon quickly had them complying. _Fucking hell, which resident pissed in her coffee this morning?_

“We need to talk,” Arizona said.

Noah raised an eyebrow. “So I gathered,” they said dryly. “About what?”

“April Kepner.”

Noah sighed. _Fucking hell._ They rubbed their forehead. “What about April?” they asked wearily.

“Your feelings for her.” Seeing Noah ready to protest, she held her hand up. “Don’t bother denying anything, you’re an open book when it comes to her.”

Noah sighed again. “Alright. Ask away then.”

“Is this serious for you?” Arizona demanded.

Noah blinked in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t understand the question,” they said.

“Your feelings for April, are they serious, or is she just a way for you to pass the time while you grieve for your wife?” Inwardly, Arizona winced at the question. It was harsh and cruel, but if there was one thing time had taught her, it was that anger revealed the truth.

Noah’s felt their face flush with anger. “Excuse me?” they asked, their voice dangerously low.

“Are your feelings for April sincere, or are you just using her to distract yourself?” Arizona repeated.

Noah clenched their jaw. “How dare you,” they hissed through grit teeth.

Arizona held her ground. “April is my friend, Dr. Devorah, and she has suffered far too much, so if you’re just using her, I want to know, because she doesn’t deserve to get hurt any more.”

Noah’s nostrils flared. And then, they collapsed in on themselves.

“What I feel for April is sincere,” they admitted. “I love her.”

Arizona’s eyebrows rose in surprise at that. “You…”

“Love her, yes,” they said. “Haven’t told her. And I won’t. Not until we’re both ready.” _Ready to hear it, ready to say it._ Rebecca’s death was still fresh. April’s divorce was just as fresh. Neither were ready to have declarations of love and feelings made or heard by the other. The two of them needed time to process everything: divorces, deaths, grief.

“I’m willing to go at April’s pace and take however much time she needs,” they continued. “Because I need that time too. I don’t want to ruin what’s between us.”

“I...okay.” Arizona nodded. She had no idea what to say to that.

Noah stood. “If that’s all, Dr. Robbins, I’ll be taking my leave now. I have patients to check up on and a surgery in 20 minutes.”

“Of course.” Arizona stepped to the side.

Noah moved to leave, but was stopped by her calling out, “Noah.”

They glanced over their shoulder. “Yes?”

“Just know that if you do end up breaking her heart, I will end you.” The steely glint in her eyes told Noah just how true her words were.

They gave her a small smile. “Understood, Dr. Robbins.”


	2. Jackson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson and Noah have a talk.

**2\. Jackson Avery**

“Push another dose of epi!”

“We’ve already maxed her out!”

“Dammit!”

Noah glanced up at the clock and shook their head. “Dr. Kepner, stop!” The furious chest compressions continued. “Dr. Kepner! Dr. Kepner! April, stop!”

April finally looked looked up at Noah. There was sorrow in their eyes. The monitors whined around them.

“There’s nothing more we can do, you have to stop,” they said quietly. She just stared at them. “Her dissection ripped through the clamps, there’s nothing more we can do.”

The monitors continued to sound. April pulled her hands away.

Noah looked to the nurse in charge of the monitors. “Time of death: 1943,” they announced quietly. There was a small click before the machines finally fell silent.

Noah surveyed the OR. Those present look shaken and more than a little sick. Noah couldn’t blame them. A teenage girl had been rushed into the OR, barely clinging to life after she’d been brutally beaten by her father. Multiple contusions, several broken bones, and severe internal bleeding had meant they had their work cut out for them. Then her coronary artery started to dissect and it became a race against the clock to keep her from bleeding out on the table.

They let out a breath. “Alright, let’s prepare to close.” They glanced at April. “Dr. Kepner, Dr. Wilson and I can finish by ourselves. I’m sure you have other patients to attend to.”

April swallowed. She knew what Noah was trying to do and she was grateful for it. But she couldn’t just leave. Not yet.

“Thank you, Dr. Devorah, but I think I’ll stay.”

Noah tipped their head. They held out their right hand. “Bokhee, sutures, please.”

-

“Hey, Avery, have you seen Kepner?” Owen asked.

Jackson frowned. “No, I have not. Why?”

“She had a rough case earlier, just wanted to see how she was doing,” he said with a shrug. “I figured she’d already talked to you.”

“No.” Jackson shook his head. “I’ll uh, I’ll go check on her.”

Owen clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks.”

-

Jackson headed to the Chapel. It was the one place April would go whenever she had a difficult or trying day. He quietly opened the door and froze at the sight before him. There, in the front pew, were Noah and April. They were holding her. From his place, Jackson could see the tear tracts on her face; she’d obviously been here a while. Noah was rubbing her shoulder as she wept.

“...How could someone do that to a child? To their own child?” April raged through her tears.

Noah pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I don’t know,” they said. “I wish I did. Hashem knows that I wish I did.”

 _Well, this is awkward_. It was obvious he was intruding on a private moment between the two.

He could hear Noah sigh just as they kissed the crown of April’s head. Seeing how close they were made his stomach twist. A part of him wanted to look away. And yet, he couldn’t. Something about the scene in front of him drew his attention. Noah continued to murmur reassurances to April as Jackson continued to watch. A hand through April’s hair, undoing the messy twist she had it in. The tightening of her grip around their shoulders as she held onto them.

Jackson closed his eyes, trying to figure out what had pulled his attention. He tried to picture himself in Noah’s place. It wasn’t the same. In his mind’s eye, where Noah’s movements were fluid and natural, his were too stiff. April clung to him the same way, but it was awkward. He was too hard, too unyielding, too used to being stone-faced in the wake of grief.

His eyes flew open as the realisation finally hit him. He swallowed. For months, he had given April and Noah’s relationship passing acknowledgement, but not acceptance. He had allowed his bitterness to write off it off as nothing more than an experiment on April’s part. And then the gossip had started up. Tales about hesitant smiles, fumbled sentences, and the blurted request that she join them for coffee spread like wildfire. Each had sent a lance of annoyance through him. Even though things with him and April had long since ended, a very small, irrational part of him hoped that maybe they could find their way back to each other. Now, it was obvious that it was a fool’s dream.

Noah looked up and caught Jackson’s gaze. They regarded him warily, but gave him a small nod of acknowledgement nonetheless before returning their attention to April.

Jackson let out a breath. He returned the nod and left the two alone.

-

“Dr. Avery!” Jackson turned to see Noah running up. They slid to a stop. “I got your text. You said you needed a peds consult?” The statement ended on a questioning note.

“I did, yeah.”

Noah nodded. “Okay, so where’s the patient?”

Jackson’s mouth open and closed a few times. “Uh...?” He hadn’t really thought this one through.

Noah just gave him a look of disbelief. “You do have a patient for me, right?” They raised an eyebrow. “Or did you just page me to waste my time?”

Jackson fought back a wince. _I deserved that one._ “I, uh, there’s something we need to discuss,” he said.

Noah looked unconvinced. “Is there now?”

“Yeah.” A beat. “If you could please follow me?”

They gave him a curt nod and followed him to an on-call room.

-

“I was a bad husband,” Jackson said as soon as the door closed.

Noah’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me?” they asked.

“I was a bad husband,” he said again. He ran a hand over the top of his head. “After Samuel died, I wasn’t there for April like she needed me to be. I left her alone to her own hurts while I tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.”

 _What is happening?_ “Dr. Avery, I’m afraid I don’t--”

Jackson let out a breath. “Look, what I’m trying to say is that I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what?” Noah felt so confused.

“About everything,” he said simply. “About you. About your relationship with April.”

Noah grimaced. _And there it is._ “Look, Dr. Avery, you’ve made your feelings about my being with April pretty clear, so I’m just going to--”

“Yeah, I was wrong about that too.”

Noah froze, hand still outstretched to open the door. They turned back to look at him. “What?”

“I’m not going to lie, for the longest time, I didn’t understand it,” he started. “Or may I didn’t want to understand it.”

Noah folded their arms. “What changed then?” they questioned, curious.

“Seeing you with April,” Jackson said. “I mean, yeah, I’ve seen the two of you before, but not the way I did yesterday. Yesterday, it all clicked.”

A raised eyebrow was aimed at him.

“I was jealous of you. Am jealous of you.”

Noah tilted their head. “You, jealous of me?” they asked in disbelief. “You’re Jackson Avery! What reason could you possibly have to be jealous of me?”

“Because of the way you are with April.” Whatever fight Noah was building up quickly left them. Jackson gave them a sad smile. “You’re a lot better for her than I ever was. By the end, all I ever did was cause her pain, but you? You make her feel strong. Make her feel loved.”

Noah was speechless.

“So, I guess what I’m trying to get across in a really roundabout way is that you have my blessing.”

“Your blessing.”

“Yeah.” Jackson shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “You make her so happy, probably happier than I ever did. And me being passive aggressive towards you isn’t going to change that. All it’s doing is hurting April.” _And I want to stop hurting her._

“I…” Noah started and then trailed off. They gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Dr. Avery. That...it means a lot.”

“Jackson.”

“What?”

“You can call me Jackson,” he said.

Noah nodded. “Thank you, Jackson.” Feeling that the conversation was over, they moved to leave, only to be stopped by him.

“Oh, Devorah, one more thing!”

They glanced at him. “Yes?”

Jackson stepped close to them. Given that he had a good six inches on them, it gave him an intimidating presence. Noah fought the urge to swallow.

“I was married to April. She’s my best friend, and she is the mother of my children,” he said quietly. “She’s already been hurt enough by the people she loves, so if you hurt her, if you break her heart, I will ruin you. Understood?”

“Understood.” They opened the door, ready to exit, but paused. “Jackson, for what it’s worth? I’ve encountered my share of bad husbands in my line of work, and you’re nothing like them.”

And with that, Noah was gone, leaving Jackson alone in the on-call room. He went over and collapsed onto one of the beds. Then, he started to laugh. Only Noah Devorah would react to getting threatened by accepting said threat and then try to sooth the ego of the person who just threatened them. A grin made its way across his face. If he remembered correctly, it was also a very April thing to do.

_God, please let this work out for the two of them._


	3. Catherine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noah endures an interrogation at the hands of Catherine Avery and the hospital gossip mill gets material like it wouldn't believe.

**3\. Catherine Avery**

Catherine Avery walked into Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and was met with an interesting sight: April Kepner was handing her grandbaby over to a dark haired attending. Judging by how close they were, she concluded that this was the person April was involved with.

“...I’m so sorry, Noah, Jackson’s in surgery right now and Bailey paged me and--” Katherine could just make out from where she was.

_ Noah.  _ Catherine finally had a name. April had been surprisingly tight lipped about her new partner. She had tried to find it out from Jackson, but lately, to her surprise, he had been just as evasive as his ex-wife. 

The dark haired attending, Noah, laughed. “April, it’s fine.” They shifted Harriet in their arms as she babbled. “Go meet with Bailey, I’ve got Harriet, I’ll drop her off.”

April gave them a relieved smile. “Thank you!” She gave them a quick kiss. “You’re the best!” She adjusted Harriet’s hat. “Be good for them, okay?” And then she was gone.

Once April was out of earshot, Catherine approached the doctor. She cleared her throat. 

They spun around with a yelp. Their eyes widened. “D-Dr. Avery!” they stammered out. “Hi! Good morning!” 

“Good morning, Noah, was it?” she asked.

Noah visibly swallowed. “Yes, Noah Devorah.” They shuffled Harriet around so that they could hold a hand out. “Pediatrics and trauma. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Catherine shook their hand. Now she finally recognised them. They had been the Head of Pediatric Surgery at Seattle Presbyterian before their transfer to Grey Sloan. 

“I’ve heard all about you.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She had, but only in a professional manner. Jackson had cursed their name once in her presence, only to be harshly rebuked by April. 

Noah’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, you have.” That was news to them. April had never mentioned talking to Catherine Avery about them. And Jackson, despite the current ills between them, had been kind enough to keep things on the mum from his mother. 

“It’s not every day one of the leading trauma surgeons in the country transfers hospitals,” she said.

_ Ah.  _ So she’d only heard about them on a professional level. 

They shrugged as best they could with Harriet in their arms. “I figured it was time for a change of scenery,” they said smoothly. “Grey Sloan is one of the best trauma centers this side of the country, and at the time they were also looking for a new pediatric surgeon.”

“How fortunate--” Whatever Catherine was going to say next was cut off by Harriet shrieking.

Noah immediately adjusted their hold on her. They gently bounced her in their arms. 

“Hey, none of that now,” they scolded gently. Her shrieks quickly died down into happy cooing. “There we go! Were you mad that we were ignoring you? Hm?” Without thinking, they pressed a few quick kisses to her cheeks.

Catherine just watched them interact with her granddaughter. It was obvious that she had been around Noah before. Harriet reached out and knocked Noah’s glasses askew, drawing a laugh from them as they quickly fixed them. They had a smile on their face that quickly vanished when they remembered just who they were standing in front of. 

Noah cleared their throat. “Sorry,” they apologised. “She tends to get fussy when--”

“When she thinks people are ignoring her,” she finished. “I know.”

“Oh. Right.” They glanced at the baby they were holding. “I, uh, I know she’s your granddaughter, but I, um, I told April I’d take her to daycare, so I am going to go do that because April will worry if she finds out that Harriet isn’t at daycare like I told her she’d be. So…” they trailed off. Catherine had a feeling that if they had a free hand, they’d be adjusting their glasses. They certainly seemed the type to have that nervous tick.

“Go on,” Catherine said. “I’ll visit my grandbaby later.”

“Right. Okay.” Noah quickly fled towards the daycare center with Harriet in their arms.

Catherine fought the urge to chuckle once they were out of sight. She looked up at Miranda’s office and saw her talking to April. She nodded her head. 

_ Time to get some information. _

-

“What do you know about Noah Devorah?” Was the first thing she asked upon walking into Miranda’s office after April had left.

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “The new pediatric trauma surgeon?” she asked. Catherine just gave her a look. Miranda shrugged. “They’re good at what they do. Great with kids, even better with parents.”

Catherine sighed. “I’m talking about personal details, Miranda!” she said in exasperation. “I want to know about the person who was holding and cooing at my grandbaby!”

Now both of Miranda’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She knew that Noah had met Harriet. Both Jackson and April had come to her, separately, to ask about when she knew that Tuck was ready to meet Ben.

Catherine placed her hands on her hips. “Miranda?”

The question shook Miranda from her revere. “Uh, non-surgical details about Noah Devorah, right,” she said. “Let’s see…” She snapped her fingers. “They’re a rabbi.”

“A rabbi.” Catherine was unimpressed. 

“Yep.” Miranda nodded. “It’s proved useful when we have a patient who wants to meet with clergy before a procedure.”

“Miranda.”

Miranda sighed. She partook in the hospital gossip mill like everyone else, but she’d done her best over the years to avoid getting tangled in other people’s drama. She pried and bullied information out of others with the best of them, but the most part, she respected the privacy of other doctors. That was especially true for Noah Devorah. She remembered the day they had stumbled into Grey Sloan’s emergency department, badly beaten, holding their pregnant wife in their arms and screaming for help. Seeing them sob over the body of their dead wife, unable to finish their prayer because of their grief was probably one of the most heartbreaking scenes she’d witnessed.

“Catherine, look, if you want personal details about Noah Devorah, go ask them.” She glanced at her computer. “They’re in OR four with a pediatric lap chole.”

“Miranda…” Catherine tried to coax.

Miranda shook her head. Noah Devorah had been through enough. She wouldn’t go adding to their grief by sharing information that wasn’t even hers to share in the first place.

“You want information, go to OR four.” Miranda’s tone broke no argument. 

Catherine could see that Miranda was in full-on Chief of Surgery mode. There was no getting her to budge. She sighed and held her hands up. 

“Alright,” she conceded. “I might just go do that. See you later, Dr. Bailey.”

“Uh huh.”

-

“Damn, look at all that inflammation,” Karev whistled.

Noah nodded. “Yeah.” They shifted the camera around ever so slightly. “Poor kid.” They heard the door open but paid it no mind.

“Can’t believe that this kid’s only fifteen and they already have to get their gallbladder out.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what a family history of gallstones and a poor diet will get you.” They zoomed the camera in. “Ah! There we go!”

Noah readed the first grasper to grab the fundus when they heard, “Dr. Devorah?” They let out a breath of frustration before looking away from the screen, annoyed. 

“Is there a reason that you are--” They froze. There stood Catherine Avery. She had changed out of her suit from earlier and into a pair of scrubs. They swallowed. “Dr. Avery.” They licked their lips. “I, I don’t believe that you’re supposed to be here right now, this is a pediatric lap chole, not bladder reconstruction.”

The look she sent their way sent chills down their spine. Several people flinched. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see Karev shake his head.

_ Message received.  _ “Not that that matters, you’re more than welcome to observe,” Noah said quickly. 

The crinkling of Catherine’s eyes told them that she was smiling at them. For some reason, that scared them more than the cold look she had given them moments earlier.

“Thank you, dear,” she said. She moved to step behind Karev.

“Of course.” Noah gave Karev a tired look. He gave them a pitying one in return.

-

The tension in the OR was suffocating. Despite it, Noah kept their focus on the teenager in front of them. 

“So, Dr. Devorah,” Catherine started off. “Tell me about yourself.”

_ I’d much rather not.  _ But this was Catherine Avery; she wouldn’t take no for an answer. They cleared their throat.

“Well, as you can see, I’m a pediatric surgeon,” they said. “I’m also specialise in trauma cases, so--”

“Dr. Devorah, if I wanted to know about your career, I would just look at your file,” she said, cutting them off. 

They sighed. “Then what do you want to hear, Dr. Avery?”

“I want to know about you as a person, of course.” Her tone held a lit of innocence that fooled no one. 

_ Dammit.  _ “I’m not all that interesting, Dr. Avery,” they tried to deflect.

Catherine would have none of that. “Oh, I doubt that.” She tilted her head. “Let’s start with something simple: do you have any pets, a cat or a dog, maybe?”

“I have a dog,” they said, eyes still fixed firmly on the screen as they worked to maneuver the tools in their hands. “My wife.” They swallowed back the lump that rose in their throat. “My wife was allergic to cats, so we got a dog.”

Catherine raised an eyebrow at the pause, but otherwise gave no visible reaction. “What kind of dog?”

“A husky labrador mutt,” Noah replied immediately. “His name is Rashi. He’s uh, he’s down in the pediatric oncology ward.”

“Oh?”

Noah gave a small shrug. “He likes kids, and kids like him.” They bit their lip behind their mask. “Harriet likes him.”

Both of Catherine’s eyebrows lifted. “Does she now?”

“Oh, yeah. The first time April brought her over, Rashi went nuts.” They chuckled. “He wouldn’t leave Harriet alone.” They shook their head. “I actually had to pull him away because he wouldn’t stop licking her, and Harriet just had the time of her life.”

Catherine hummed. “What does Jackson think about you being around my grandbaby?”

Noah looked up. “He doesn’t have an issue with me seeing his daughter,” they said. Their brow furrowed. “At least, that’s what he told me. Why? Has he said otherwise to you?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Please, my son has been remarkably tight lipped about you.” She tilted her head. “And so has April.”

Noah tensed. They had a feeling about where this conversation was about to go.

Catherine changed gears. “How long have you and April been together?” she asked.

“A few months,” they replied shortly. 

“Oh? April hadn’t mentioned that.”

“We’ve been taking it slow.” 

“Have you now?” She narrowed her eyes at them. “Is that really the reason, or did you just not want April to mention this?”

Noah’s jaw tightened. They looked away from the screen. “Excuse me?”

“Are you ashamed of her, dear? She’s a divorced single mother, after all.”

“Dr. Avery--”

“I’m just trying to understand this, Dr. Devorah,” Catherine said with false sincerity. “April is such a nice young woman. She deserves someone who’s willing to meet the other people in her life.”

That was the final straw. “Don’t pretend like you actually give a damn about her wellbeing!” Noah finally snapped. 

The OR went silent. Everybody froze. No one dared the breathe. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see Karev giving them a deer-in-the-headlights look.

Noah let out a harsh breath. “Wilson!” they barked. “Take over, right now.” They knew they only had seconds before their hands would start to shake with rage.

“Of course, Dr. Devorah.”

They waited until Jo had the proper grip around the instruments before they stepped back. They glared at Catherine, who returned it just as coldly.

“I beg your pardon?” she finally asked.

“You heard me,” Noah said coldly. “You don’t get to pretend you give a damn about her, not after the way you treated her when she was pregnant with Harriet.”

“I--”

Noah could feel their ears burning with anger. “Yeah, April told me all about that. So did Jackson, when I asked him about it,” they mentioned casually. “He was pretty embarrassed about the whole thing, which is understandable.”

They flexed their hands. “So you don’t get to come into my OR and interrogate me under the auspices of caring for April,” they continued. “Because we both know you don’t. You care about Harriet, and you care about Jackson, but you don’t care about April. And to pretend otherwise is an insult to her.”

“You--”

Noah scoffed. “Save it,” they said. “April deserves better than that. She deserves more than that.”

Catherine eyed the doctor in front of them. Their eyes burned with righteous anger. She smiled behind her mask.  _ Well, damn. _

“You’re right,” she said.

That took the wind right out of Noah’s sails. They blinked. Everyone else exchanged looks of surprise. After all, Catherine Avery was rarely one to admit when someone else was right.

“Excuse me?” Noah asked, not quite sure they’d heard correctly. 

“You’re right, she does deserve better than that.” Noah stared. “April Kepner deserves the best. She deserves someone who’s kind and isn’t afraid to throw down for her. I’m pleased to see that you’re both.”

Noah tilted their head. They had no idea where she was going with this.

“As everyone in this room can probably attest to, April and I have had our disagreements,” she said. A few nurses and residents nodded. “But, she was married to my son and made him happy. She even gave me grandchildren, so that makes her a part of my family.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Now, if you were to ask April if I cared about her well-being, there’s a good chance that she would say no,” she conceded. “But I do. That woman has experienced enough tragedy and heartbreak. She deserves a chance to be happy.”

Catherine fixed them with a steely glare that made them take a step back. “Don’t you dare hurt her, do you hear me?” she demanded. “Because if you do, I will see to it that your livelihood, and quite possibly your life, is destroyed.”

Noah nodded. “Understood.”

The crinkling of her eyes was the only indication that she was giving them a wide smile. She clapped her hands. 

“Alright then,” she said. “I’m glad we were able to have this talk. Good luck with your surgery and have a pleasant day.”

And with that, Catherine Avery exited the OR, leaving a group of shell shocked surgeons and nurses behind.

-

Noah’s knees gave out as soon as the door was closed. A stool was shoved under them just as they went down. They cast a grateful look at Bokhee.

“Thanks, Bokhee,” they said. They glanced around. “Did that really just happen?”

“If you mean Catherine Avery coming in, interrogating you about your love life, you ripping her a new asshole, and then her going to bat for Kepner?” Karev asked, flicking his gaze to them momentarily. “Then yeah, that just happened.”

“Wonderful.” They let out a breath. “I suppose it would be too much to ask that this not get to April’s ears?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Karev scoffed. “Dude, I’m pretty sure half the hospital’s heard by now.”

A few nervous coughs echoed throughout the OR.

Noah sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

“Mad props to you, though, Devorah,” he said. They looked up at him. He gave them a nod of approval. “You got some serious balls talking to Catherine Avery like that.” He paused. “Or whatever the non-binary equivalent of balls are.”

“Thanks, Karev.”


	4. Owen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Owen proves to the Grey Sloan rumour mill that is as scary as he looks and Noah realises just how many people care about April.

**4\. Owen Hunt**

“Kepner, you alright?” Owen asked.

April jumped. “Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine, Owen,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. April usually had a laser-like focus when working. To see her so out of sorts was unusually and more than a little worrying. 

April sighed. She grabbed his arm. “I don’t want to talk about it here,” she grumbled as she dragged him to an on-call room. 

-

Owen rubbed his arm while April shut and locked the door behind her.  _ For someone so small, she’s got a helluva grip.  _ A part of him was impressed. 

April turned to face him. “Alright, okay, we’re good,” she said with a nod.

He gave her a bemused look. “April? Mind cluing me in?” he asked.

“I think I’m starting to fall for Noah,” she blurted out.

Owen blinked. “Devorah?” He knew through the grapevine that the two were involved, or something close to being involved, but he wanted to make sure. 

She gave him a look. “No, Noah, the nurse down in Urology,” she deadpanned, before rolling her eyes. “Yes, Noah Devorah!”

“Okaay,” he drew out. “I’m going to be upfront here, April, this conversation we’re about to have, definitely not my forte.”

April huffed. “You’ve been married, twice,” she protested. “You probably get this better than I do!”

“I have been married twice, that’s true,” he said with a nod. “But that doesn’t mean I know anything since both of my marriages ended in divorce.”

She held her hands up in front of her. “Look, just, give me advice here,” she pleaded. “Because I, they, they’re smart, and charming, and…” A small smile appeared. “And they’re great with Harriet.”

“None of those sound like bad things, April.”

She sighed. “No, they’re not,” she admitted. She bit her lip. 

Owen tilted his head. He could tell that something else was bothering her. “What is it?”

April ran fingers through her hair. “When we started all of this, Noah said they were willing to go at my pace.” She held her hand up to stall any comments from him. “Which is great, I just feel like I’m messing all of this up!”

Owen gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“What if we end up taking so much time that one day, Noah wakes up and doesn’t feel the same way anymore?” she asked. Tears welled up in her eyes. “What if they wake up and realise just who it is they’re getting involved with? For god's sake, I’m a single mother! A divorcee! Who in their right mind would--”

Owen cut her off. “April, stop.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “You are incredible. You’re a trauma surgeon, a soldier, and probably one of the strongest people I’ve ever had the honor of working with.”

She sniffled and looked away. Owen brought his hands up to wipe away her tears.

“Hey.” He drew her attention back to him. “You’re a wonderful person. Being a divorced single mother doesn’t change that.”

“I’m scared of getting hurt, Owen,” she whispered. “I don’t want to get hurt. Not again.”

He pulled her into a tight hug. “I know.” April cried against his shoulder. “I know.”

The simultaneous buzz of two different phones broke them apart. April wiped her eyes while pulling out her phone.

“Trauma in the pit,” Owen announced. 

“Noah’s paging for an extra set of hands down in OR 3,” April said at the same time.

They looked at each other. A thoughtful expression crossed Owen’s face. 

“How about I go to OR 4 and you take the incoming trauma?” he suggested. “It’ll give you some time to clean up.”

April combed her fingers through her hair. “Good plan,” she said. She took a breath. “Thank you, Owen.”

He clapped her on the shoulder. “Anytime, April.”

-

Owen pushed the door to OR 3 open. He was greeted by the sight of carefully controlled chaos. A teenage girl lay on the table. Muffled curses hit the air every so often as debris were pulled from her chest cavity. At the forefront of the chaos was Noah, who was barking out commands.

“Parker, I need more suction! Henderson, hang another unit blood! And someone page Kepner again!” They fired off. Their hands were a blur as they worked frantically to control the bleeding. 

Owen cleared this throat. “Dr. Devorah.” His made sure his voice heard even over the frantic work pace.

Noah looked up. “Dr. Hunt?” they asked, confused. They spared a quick glance over their shoulder to confirm. “Is there something you need?”

“We needed to talk,” he replied. “So I’m filling in for Kepner.”

_ Are you kidding me?  _ “I’m kind in the middle of something right now!” they protested. “Can it wait?”

“Nope,” Was his simple response. “Besides, you look like you could use the extra set of hands.”

Before Noah could say or do anything, Owen walked right past them and into the scrub room. They stared in disbelief. 

“Is he for real?” they asked no one in particular. Uncomfortable, nervous shuffling, and the sounds of medical instruments moving about was the only response. They let out a breath. “Wonderful.”

-

Four minutes later, Owen re-entered the OR, freshly scrubbed. The chaos had died down, but the tension hadn’t.

“Alright, what’ve we got?” he asked while being gloved.

Noah glanced up. “Sadie Walker, 16 years old, severe crash injuries. Suffered a hemopneumothorax out in the field. EMTs put a chest tube in, but she crashed almost as soon as she got here,” they rattled off. “We opened her up and found that she has Grade IV liver lac, along with what looks like an intrarenal hematoma.”

“Damn.” Owen shook his head. 

“Not to mention, we’ve also been pulling pieces of her steering column out of her abdomen for the last twenty minutes.” The crinkling of their eyes told him that, despite the situation, they were giving him a cheeky smile. “I think we’re up to half her steering wheel now.”

“A quarter,” one of the nurses spoke up.

Noah glanced back at Owen. “My bad, a quarter.”

“Wow.” He accepted the tools from Bokhee. “Car crash?”

Noah pursed their lips behind their mask. “It would’ve been better if that was all that had happened, but no,” they said. “Ms. Walker and her friends decided they’d go joyriding.”

Owen whistled. “Joyriding did this?”

“Joyriding into an 18-wheeler did this,” they corrected. “From the damage to her, I’m going to guess that she hit one of the older rigs. Those tend to be made out of steel, instead of lighter composite materials.”

“You never struck me as a truck person.”

“I’m not, April is.”

Owen hummed. The two quickly got into their groove. It wasn’t like what Owen had had with Riggs, or what Noah had with April, but it was still an impressive sight. Every so often, either would call for more suction or demand stats.

“So, what is it you think we need to talk about?” Noah asked after a while.

Owen had never been one to beat around the bush. “April Kepner.”

_ Fuck.  _ At any other time, Noah would be more than happy talk about April. But right now, they didn’t need things getting around the hospital’s rumour mill. Yes, they knew that there were already details floating about, but that didn’t mean they wanted to add to it. They told April that they would go at her pace; things were already complicated as it stood. They didn’t want to put anymore pressure on her.

Noah looked up, but said nothing. 

Owen met their gaze. “I’m sure April’s told you this, but I served with her in Iraq,” he said. Noah made a noise of acknowledgement. “She’s a great trauma surgeon and an even better person. To be honest, I wish I had more like her.”

“April’s one of a kind,” Noah said.

Owen nodded. “She definitely is,” he said. “She’s an amazing person, who has had her heart broken too many times. I consider her to my family, Devorah.”

_ I’m pretty sure she considers you to be family too.  _ Noah kept working. They flicked their eyes back up every so often to make it clear to Owen that they were still listening.

“So, with that said,” he continued. “Let me be clear, from one trauma surgeon to another: if what you have with her right now isn’t serious, if you hurt her, if you make her cry for any reason except out of happiness, I’m going to kill you.”

The OR was absolutely silent, aside from the monitors and occasional clink of an operating instrument. No one dared to breathe. The look in Owen’s eyes told everyone just how serious he was. 

Noah visibly swallowed. “...understood, Dr. Hunt,” they eventually said. “Thank you for letting me know.” 

It was a weak response, but they didn’t really have the capacity to formulate anything better considering that they was still arms’ deep in a grievously injured child’s chest.

“Good.” Owen returned his attention to the body in front of him. “Watch for that piece there. Looks like a piece of the...turn signal?”

“Yeah, I see it.”

As both surgeons got back to work, Casey, Bokhee, Henderson, and several others exchanged looks that went unnoticed by Noah and Owen. The message was clear: hurt April Kepner at your own peril.

-

“Alright, let’s get her up to the PICU,” Noah ordered as the surgery finished. “Parker, go inform the family that their daughter’s alive and then take them upstairs to meet her.”

“Roger that, Dr. Devorah.”

Once the room was empty, Noah let out a sigh and left to go wash up. They stripped off their surgical coat and binned it before entering the scrub room. Owen was already there. They turned on the sink.

“Not bad back there,” he said.

“Thanks. You weren’t half bad either.”  _ Still would’ve preferred to have April across from me.  _ They shared a flow during surgery that was hard to replicate with other surgeons.

“Thanks.” Owen moved to leave, but were stopped by Noah.

“Hunt?”

He paused and turned, giving them a curious look. “What’s up?”

Noah shut off the water. “April’s pretty blessed to have you in her corner, you know that?”

He shrugged. “She’d do the same for me.” A beat. “Just, maybe don’t mention our conversation to her? Because she will kill me.”

Noah threw their head back and laughed. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t’ve come into my OR and done that in front of a full surgical staff, because I’m pretty sure it’s already hit the rumour mill.”

Owen sighed. “Yeah, that’s a good point.” He shook his head. “Alright, see you later, Devorah.”

Noah hummed. Once the door shut, they exhaled and braced their wet hands against the edge of the sink. They were exhausted. Still, a small smile made its way across their lips. They closed their eyes.

_ Man, you’ve got some heavy hitters in your corner, ahuvati. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a kudos and a comment letting me know what you think. And, if you've got any questions or just want to chat, head over to Tumblr @sandstonesunspear and drop me a line.


End file.
